Demand for HERS Continues to Grow - RESNET

To learn what is driving these trends, attend the 2019 RESNET Building Performance Conference in New Orleans on February 25 - 27. The RESNET Conference is the "not-to-miss" event on home energy ratings and home performance. SIPA will be there!

In 2018, there were 236,116 homes in the United States that were HERS rated and issued a HERS Index Score. This broke the previous record for the number of homes HERS rated in a year with 227,840 homes HERS rated in 2017. Of greater significance is the over $235 million in annual energy bill savings that is calculated from the RESNET National Registry for home buyers who purchase HERS rated homes in 2018, as compared to the HERS reference home.

At an average of $450 per home for a HERS rating (reported recently in a recent RESNET Rater survey), it is estimated that the number of homes rated in 2018 generated over $106 million in HERS Raters and RESNET Accredited Provider economic activity.

In addition, it is calculated that the HERS rated homes will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over a million tons annually. This savings will, according to the EPA calculator, be equal to 194,017 passenger vehicles taken off the road for one year.

RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden commented on the over 236,000 homes HERS rated in 2018, "Homebuilders are increasingly seeing energy efficiency as a major selling point for buying a new home. To take advantage of this opportunity, builders across the nation are presenting their homes' energy performance in a way that every home buyer can understand, the home's HERS Index Score. I expect that this trend will continue. It is particularly encouraging that the average HERS Index Score was 61. This is 39% more efficient than homes built as recently as 2006 and 69% more efficient than a typical home built in 1970. I congratulate the Energy Smart builders, HERS Raters and program sponsors that are leading the trend to mainstream high-performance homes in the marketplace."

RESNET, however, is not content with the current market share of homes that are HERS rated. In 2019, RESNET will be working with the rating industry, builders, and program sponsors to increase the demand for HERS ratings.

By the Numbers:

The six leading states in terms of homes receiving a HERS Index in 2018 were: